Blues forward will be out indefinitely after injuring left hip

Paul Kariya has been out of the lineup since Nov. 5 and recently decided it would be best to get surgery on his injured hip.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -St. Louis Blues left wing Paul Kariya will have surgery on his left hip and could miss the rest of the season, the latest hit for a franchise beset by injuries to key players.

The 34-year-old Kariya hasn't played since Nov. 5 in Anaheim, when his body was wrenched by a hit from behind and he tore muscle fibers near the top of his thigh. He had apparently recovered from the initial injury and skated with the team three days this week, but cut short his workout Friday after only about 10 minutes.

An MRI exam Friday revealed additional damage inside the hip and Kariya and the Blues elected for surgery on Saturday after consulation with several doctors. The decision was announced near the end of the first period of a game against the San Jose Sharks.

Team president John Davidson said there was no timetable for Kariya's return, and said surgery had not yet been scheduled.

"He knows the sooner he gets it done, the sooner he's going to be able to play," Davidson said. "Whether that's six weeks from now or toward the end of the season or toward the fall, it doesn't matter.

"Doing it right, rehabbing it properly and getting the right person to do it, that's more important than saying, 'Come on, let's get back in a month."'

Kariya Injury

Kariya

Kariya met the media on Dec. 29 to discuss his decision to get surgery on his hip. He is confident he will return at 100 percent. Watch

Blues broadcaster Chris Kerber got an exclusive one-on-one interview with Kariya in the Dec. 29 edition of BluesCast, the official podcast of the St. Louis Blues. Listen

Davidson said there was no question the injury that's requiring surgery is related to the hit in Anaheim.

"He was jolted from behind and it twisted his whole body and it tore a muscle," Davidson said. "It's healed and there's still discomfort. So now we've looked and there's more damage than first thought and it's going to have to be repaired.

"This is all on that same hit from behind."

The Blues have been without several key players for long stretches, beginning with defenseman Erik Johnson's season-ending knee injury in a pre-training camp golf outing accident. Forward Andy McDonald (broken ankle) and defenseman Eric Brewer (back surgery) and goalie Manny Legace (hip, concussion) also have had extended absences.

"We're getting used to this," Davidson said. "We deal with what we have to deal with. We have to play with purpose and intelligence, and we'll compete, that's what the mandate is.

"We've had some clunkers lately but we've played hard most nights and if we play smart we'll stay in games."

Kariya has two goals and 13 assists in 11 games. He has 384 goals and 562 assists in 914 regular-season games with Anaheim, Colorado, Nashville and St. Louis.

Davidson asserted that far from signaling the beginning of the end for Kariya, he would emerge "better than ever" from the surgery. He said Kariya was "very inquisitive" of what type of player he might be after the operation.

"He'll be better, better than what he's been," Davidson said. "Everybody feels if he gets it repaired and does his rehab properly, he'll be 110 percent ready to go."